Oh Sovereign God,

You alone know the plan for the universe. You alone have the infallible, omnipotent knowledge of the past, present, and future. Father, help us to trust in you. Ayúdanos Dios. We need you more than we ever thought possible. God, we need your guidance, steady hand, and ever-comforting presence.

While some of us are rejoicing, others are experiencing tremendous amounts of sorrow, and yet more are angry and scared and unsure. Ayúdanos. Father, help us to weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. This country should not be a place for half of the population to be optimistic and excited about the future while the other half hides away in fear.

Only you can unite us- not the President, not a common fear, not a set of enacted policies. We need you, God. We need you to show us acceptance to our neighbors and love to our political counterparts. Help us to realize who the true enemy is- not each other or a political candidate made in your image, but the Deceiver, the one who sets out to tear apart relationships and induce bigotry and hatred into our lives. God, unite us.

God, help us to honor your plan. Create in us a conviction to pray for our leaders and hope that they make wise and godly decisions. Help us to abandon our partisan thoughts and desire positive changes in the country. Yahweh, we are too easily distracted. We too often want to be “right.” It is too easy for us to hope for the worst in people we did not support. Take the plank out of our eyes and see your plan for what it is- sovereign and omnipotent. Father, we pray that our newly elected leaders make constructive modifications to our world. We pray that our personal prejudices go away and only love and conviction for you remain.

Dios, be with Latinos. Be with Asians. Be with Caucasians. Be with African Americans. Unite us, Father. As we are all one body in Christ, help us to accept and celebrate our co-existence here on this earth. Let our differences make us unique, but let our similarities make us strong. God, we too often think about ourselves—What will happen to my family? How will my rights change? Will I lose my benefits? Will I pay more taxes? Oh God, forgive us for choosing autonomy. Forgive us for forgoing belief in your perfect power. Forgive us, and help us.

When people think differently than we do, give us space to recognize and thoughtfully consider their perspective. Grant us contrite hearts that are willing to attend to the needs, concerns, and joys of others. Te necesitamos. Ayúdanos Dios. Ayúdanos.

Amen